Tiptoe Kisses

Chapter 12

 

Chapter 12-Collide 

Taylor and Santo get off the elevator and start walking toward the guard’s booth in the parking garage.  Rick sees them and rushes out to greet them.  “Mr. Donati sir, are you and Ms. Simon alright?”  Another guard named Carlton Jameson comes out of the booth.   

Santo tells the guards about the electrical power going out causing Taylor to get stuck in the elevator and the men stealing packages. Taylor is seated in the guards both and Carlton gives them both a bottled water.  He grabs one of the guard’s jackets hanging on a hook and drapes it over Taylor’s shoulders. 

Carlton is an older gentlemen with grey hair, ocean blue eyes and a kind heart.  He works late a lot of nights since his wife died and he is the one that normally escorts Taylor down to the garage when she works late.  After making sure Taylor is settled he goes outside to talk with Santo, Rick, the police and FBI that have arrived.

Taylor sits behind the glass wall inside the guard’s booth watching all the activity.   She and Santo haven’t said anything  to each other since she told him she doesn’t want his kisses. He stood just outside the guard’s booth when the police and the FBI talked with her and took her statement.    

Taylor’s forgotten about being hungry as she waits and has moved on to feeling sleepy.  She reaches beside her for her purse to get her phone out then realizes she doesn’t have it or her phone, coat, shoes or her keys.   She tries to get Santo’s attention but he's still talking to the FBI. They end their conversation and he meets her just outside the booth.

“You need something?”  He ask her.  He looks tired but the mask that hides his feelings is firmly in place.

“Yes, my phone…..I don’t have my phone and my purse is still upstairs.  I think I lost my keys and  I can’t drive home.”

He’s looking at her with his hands in his pockets and there’s an indifferent expression on his face.

“I’ll take you home, just give me a second.”  He starts to turn away from her and Taylor puts her hand on his arm to stop him.

“Santo, I need to call my step-dad and let him know I’m alright.”

“Taylor, he knows.  He’s already been contacted.  He wanted to come down and I told him I would take care of you.  It’s so late and everybody’s tired so I told him you would call him later around breakfast time.”

Taylor listens to what he says and it seems he’s taken control of everything including her.  She turns to go back in the guard’s booth and he reaches out and touches her hand. 

“Why don’t you wait for me in my car?”  He points  at his range rover and the vehicle’s headlights flicker.  “ It might be more comfortable than the chair in the guard's booth.  Look in the trunk, there should be a blanket.”  He holds open his hand and the key fob to his Evoque range rover is in it.

Taylor takes the key from him and walks to the SUV.  She opens the trunk and finds the blanket.  She gets in the vehicle and lays the key fob in the center dash board and nods off to sleep.

When Santo finally gets finished with the police it’s after two in the morning.  He opens the door to the SUV on the driver’s side and smiles at the sight before him.  She’s asleep and her hair is spread out all over the side of her face. Reaching over he gently moves her hair behind her ear so he can see her face then lightly caresses her cheek with his bent forefinger. 

'''''''''''''''''''  

Taylor rolls over on her side to get a better grip on her plush pillow.   The warm sunlight coming through the bedroom window shines brightly in her face causing her to hold her hand over her eyes to try to block it.   She looks at her surroundings as she sets up in the comfortable king sized bed.  She is in a bedroom decorated with a minimum of furniture that has nice clean lines made of dark wood and leather.